Friday, April 18, 2008

To the blogs and beyond: How do you blogroll?

So now that I know a rabid animal isn't under my bed shaking it, waiting to bite my heels - which I thought was the case at 4:30 a.m. when the earthquake hit - I'm appealing to the blogosphere.

Jennifer and I were talking the other day about blog rolls and she had a great idea - ask all my fellow bloggers and lurkers how they decide who to add to their blog rolls.

So I pose this question into the great beyond. How do you decide what blogs to add to your blog roll? Are they friends or blogs you read regularly? Or do you take e-mails from people asking for a link exchange?

I'm pretty new to this so I'm putting the question out there for people to share their experiences :)

21 comments:

ms. fits chicago said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

i usually add the blogs i read on the daily to my roll.
<3 A fellow chicagoan!

Lisa said...

Well, I read like, 150 blogs or so. Seriously. So I can't add them ALL to my blogroll.

I think the less people on your blog roll, the more meaningful it is to be listed, you know? So I list the personal blogs of all my friends that I know in real life, as well as any blogger that I've communicated with outside of the blog world. (I leave comments all over the place, but only gchat with a select few!)

I think most people have 10-20 people on their blogroll. For now, just choose the ones you read most!

Angela said...

I divided my blog roll into three chunks...

The first is people I know in real life.

The second is bloggers I've met in real life at blogger meet-ups.

And the third is people I strictly know from the internet...

Usually, people go on the third list if they've added me to their blog rolls. Sometimes they go on just because I really like their blogs. Or if they leave comments on my blog a lot.

So basically, I have a long blog roll... Makes me wish that blogger had wordpress capabilities so that I could put them all on another page.

Unknown said...

Well, I'm still fairly new at this, but I've added all of my favorites...the ones I read daily...plus, of course all of my favorite friends (many are one in the same). I suppose I'll continue to add/subtract as my favorites evolve, but so far thats my strategy!

Arielle said...

I think a good test is to add a blog to your reader. Whenever someone new comments on my blog or whenever I just stumble on a blog that I think I'd like, I add it to my reader to give it a test run for a week or 2. If I enjoy reading it, I add it to my blog roll, but usually after a month or so until I've read enough to remember who the blogger is and what separates them from the other blogs on my blog roll. Hope this helps!

Anonymous said...

My blog roll is getting a bit out of hand. I can't help it though haha!

I add everyone to my reader so I can follow them for a while. If I find that I really enjoy their blog and read it daily, I'll throw them on the the blog roll.

Ben said...

Hm...I've been kind of anti blogroll for my own site these days. I'm trying to force myself to highlight bloggers that I like within my own posts so that people pay more attention. I can't help but think that people get scared away by blogrolls that are too lengthy.

Stephanie said...

Right now I have 4 blogs listed on mine. I check those daily, and those four particular bloggers tend to comment on my stuff a lot too.

I've deleted blogs if they don't update on a regular basis (I just got rid of one a minute ago), because I don't want to direct people to go there, and its been like 3 weeks since they said something new.

Recently though I have found a few more blogs that I love, so I'll probably update my list soon. I try to stick to blogs that are kind of within my realm (no angry stuff).

Jamie Lovely said...

I have links on my sidebar of people I really enjoy. Other blogs I like go on a seperate Links page. I always add blogs to my reader and every month or so try to go through and clean things up, add people to my blog roll/links and take some off. I really need to do that now!

Anonymous said...

I read a lot of blogs. I link to the ones I enjoy/visit the most. However, my blog list at the moment doesn't entirely encompass all the blogs I enjoy, and eventually I'll get around to organizing it better.

Whenever come across a blog I think I will enjoy, I add it to my Rss feeder and check back. I usually like to interact with the blogger via their actually blog or some social network before I add them to the blog roll. Of course, this isn't the case for every blog that is on the blog roll.

alexa @clevelandsaplum said...

basically all the blogs that i enjoy start off on my reader, after a few weeks of enjoying the blog i then add it to my blogroll.

basically if you like it, add it!

DShan said...

i don't have one, and i don't think i will. i think it's an archaic way of promoting great blogs. i think the etiquette of the blogroll served purpose early on in the blogosphere, but has since because a far too static way to share recommendations, or information for that matter, with a community (your readers).

you can publicize your RSS lists, you can publicize your favorite posts, you can share your delicious/digg/stumbleupon history...all of that is more accessible and dynamic than a blogroll.

Anonymous said...

I add people to my reader first. If it becomes a blog I read and enjoy on a daily basis, it goes on my blogroll page.

Anonymous said...

maybe i don't have the blogger lingo down yet but what i generally do is when i find a blog i like i bookmark (is that the same as adding it to 'the reader') it - i'll check in on it every so often and if i still enjoy it two weeks later i'll usually add it. but if i find its not being updated frequently or its not really my 'type' of blog i don't add it. i agree with one commenter above though - i try not to make it get lengthy...i put on blogs that i generally enjoy reading for whatever reason - i don't simply add someone because they've added me.

Anonymous said...

Forget about anyone else. Focus on yourself. Time is limited. Focus on your blog -- you don't need to manage others.

Angela said...

So after reviewing other comments on this thread, I've decided that my blog roll is massively huge... so I'm taking off the column... I won't get rid of it entirely... I think I'll put it in a post, and then link to that post from the column...? Something like that.

Eleni Zoe said...

I've been blogging for a year and never even thought of asking that question. And I've been confused about blogroll etiquette for the entire time. So first of all, thank you for posting this.

My general strategy so far has been to add blogs that I read on a daily basis on my blogroll. But, I haven't updated it in months. Plus, it is getting too long already, I feel.

So after reading the comments, I think I am going to change that. I don't know exactly how but a change is probably in order. :)

Kim said...

I find a lot of blog through other blogger's links. I add them to my reader and read them for a few weeks or a month. If I really like them, I add them.

But I am cautious of adding too many! Right now my reader is so full, I don't want my blogroll to be the same way!

Living Dees Life said...

i only add people that comment with me on eachother's blogs. and ofcourse people that i know IRL. Everyone else I RSS feed and if they finally start reading and commenting on mine because I am on thiers then they'll get added to my blogroll.

Anonymous said...

the letter box is full so kitty returns to same old spot, excelsior!